Daytime high temperatures will be in the mid to upper 40s throughout the front range. There was a 403 percent increase in the number of pounds seized of fentanyl between 2017 and last year on Colorados highways. News | Nebraska State Patrol It was led by Saul Ramon Rivera-Beltran, 30, of Thornton, according to the DEA, who they said coordinated the drug shipments and deals from Mexico. Win tickets to Cheyenne Frontier Days, The Daddy of 'Em All before tickets go on sale! On Feb. 28, the drug task force made up of officers from the Safford, Thatcher, and Pima Police departments, Graham County Sheriff's Office, and Arizona Department of Public Safety, raided the residence at about 6:45 a.m. by announcing their presence via a loudspeaker and breaching the front door using door rams and pry bars. First published on March 11, 2022 / 7:35 PM. But make no mistake: In this case, my understanding is the drugs here were actually bound for Colorado. Colorado Attorney General, DEA Task Force Dismantle Major Drug Massive drug sting: 800 arrested, 2 tons of meth, 8 tons of - KKTV FEDERAL DRUG TRAFFICKING PROSECUTIONS UPDATE - United States Department Authorities arrested that woman and 23 other members of two Mexican drug trafficking operations that were based in Denver and Aurora during an operation last week, Dunn said. You have permission to edit this article. Gov. 200,000 fentanyl pills seized in what Colorado law enforcement considers life-saving busts, Indie 102.3s March Local 303 Meetup feat: Deva Yoder, News That Matters, Delivered To Your Inbox, Fentanyl is everywhere, and showing up in other illicit drugs. Investigators say the group was dealing over two pounds (one kilogram) of heroin every week in Denver. In my opinion, bulk fentanyl quantities like this hold the caliber of weapons of mass destruction-type concern when we take into consideration the worst possible outcomes of this poison being pushed out in mass to our communities, said Brian Besser, the special agent in charge of the DEAs Denver Field Division. While conducting a series of arrests across Denver and Aurora Feb. 12, officials also seized large amounts of cash, cars and at least 10 guns, many of which were assault rifles, Phillips said. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. In the latest bust, authorities seized 170,000 fentanyl pills outside of an Aurora apartment. The record haul from last months bust was packed into 48 one-kilo blocks. Sources: months -long investigation cocaine/ Meth distribution from Mex. They also confiscated 9.4 pounds of heroin, a 2.2 pounds of cocaine, four guns including an AR-15. Dean Narciso The Columbus Dispatch 0:00 1:38 The Franklin County Prosecutor's Office announced late Friday afternoon the indictments of 79 people and the seizure of nearly $6 million in drugs in. February 21, 2023. Courtesy of the Adams County Sheriff's Office. Aurora Police said the investigation began in September after their narcotics team received a tip that Hernan Soria Ramirez was advertising illegal drugs for sale on social media sites. Shelly Bradbury is the courts reporter at the Denver Post. Every single bust, and I hate to use that term, is making a substantive community impact on the life-saving front, Besser said. Law enforcement seized over 110,000 counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, 6. In my 31 years of law enforcement, I have never seen anything like the current drug crisis, Besser said. PDF Colorado Drug Threat Assessment - United States Department of Justice 5 dead, baby found alive at suspected drug party in Colorado Young High School Teacher Suspended For Posting Topless Photos And The Adams County Sheriff's Office says they were part of a large task force which took down a massive drug bust. Mills was arrested at the Race Street location. ", RELATED: Denver Health Officials Warn About Increase In Deadly Overdoses Linked To Fentanyl. Come Wednesday, families will be receiving their SNAP benefits without the additional emergency allotments they've been getting for the last three years. (WEHT) Five people were put behind bars in Evansville after a suspicious package led to a large drug bust. Vallejo-Gallo was arrested at her home in Aurora on Wednesday last week and faces drug kingpin charges, Dunn said. In one shipment recovered by authorities, drugs were hidden in a childs backpack and mailed through UPS to a woman in the ring who had children, Dunn said. 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Eighteen arrested in recent Beaufort County drug busts 21 charged in Cartel-linked drug distribution ring in Colorado - KMGH It will be a mild and dry start to the weekend. Example video title will go here for this video. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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The trafficking ring funneled their profits back to Mexico, sometimes by smuggling undeclared bulk cash shipments, according to the indictment, which said members bought property in Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico, to try to keep the money from being seized by U.S. authorities. Feds bust prolific drug cartel suspected of pumping - Sentinel Colorado DENVER Special agents, police officers and deputy sheriffs on Thursday arrested 80 people on drug and/or gun charges, announced the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Colorado. AURORA | An Aurora woman has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for conspiring to transport large quantities of illicit drugs from Mexico into the U.S., according to the Department of Justice. University of Denver students are calling out campus leaders to halt a controversial speaker stepping foot on campus. "These are usually going into the hands of our teenagers and our younger adults out there, so anytime you can get a good arrest like this, any hit that we can make that takes this out of the hands of the kids, that's great," Spayth said. About 170,000 pills were seized in April from a vehicle outside an apartment complex in Aurora. Police in Adams County on Friday announced that a drug bust this month netted 20 pounds of methamphetamine. Those 11 people are included in a federal indictment that was released later on Tuesday. Deputies found 274 marijuana plants and 60 pounds of packaged pot in an illegal grow operation. As the spring homebuying season approaches, affordability is at its lowest point in history, one economist said. Click here to view all charges. Stories About Drug Bust - CBS Colorado Vallejo-Gallo, who is in her early 40s, faces more than 50 counts, including the rarely levied charge of continuing a criminal enterprise or a drug kingpin charge, according to local U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn. For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "9NEWS" to find the free app to add to your account. Fentanyl pills, previously known as "blues" because of their blue color, are now available in pink and white. DENVER - Following a two year criminal drug investigation, 54 defendants were named in four separate indictments charging various violations of the Controlled Substances Act, the United States Attorney's Office and the Metro Gang Task Force announced. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. served four search warrants in Fresno. Subscribe to ourdaily 9NEWSLETTERfor top stories from 9NEWS curated daily just for you. At the news conference, officials also highlighted the Colorado State Patrols recovery last month of 114 pounds of pure fentanyl on Interstate 70 near Georgetown from a vehicle headed toward Denver. Electric vehicles are the future, at least that's what Colorado's Energy Office is hoping. Besser said investigators are now seeing fentanyl and other deadly synthetic analogs routinely being mixed with conventional street drugs, including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines and marijuana. Today our community is safer, Phillips said. We can help you keep up. Yates is Pierce's sister. As first reported by The Denver Gazette, the largest U.S. highway seizure of pure fentanyl powder occurred June 20 on Interstate 70 near Georgetown. A 19-year-old Arizona man is under arrest in Colorado's high country after authorities found large amounts of drugs in his car. We are watching a system moving across Utah that will bring increasing snow chances for the mountains for your Friday afternoon and evening. AURORA, Ill. - Police found more than $18,000 in cash and more than 300 pills during a traffic stop in west suburban Aurora Tuesday night. Because of Thursday's law enforcement. , Players given Kratom by Colorado coach, police say, Skier Shiffrin's quest for 86th win extended after downhill, 77 inches of snow fall at Colorado ski area in 9 days. State and federal authorities confiscated 200,000 fentanyl pills, 9.4 pounds of heroin, a kilogram of cocaine and multiple firearms in an operation they say culminated in one of the largest seizures of fentanyl pills in Colorado history. Since 2015, Besser said the drug landscape has shifted considerably, moving from organic heroin to synthetic pills, which are both more discreet and more lucrative for cartels. It's the largest drug case in recent history out of the Franklin County, Ohio, prosecutor's office and including 79 people indicted and more than $5 million of narcotics . The other people indicted on lesser charges could face prison sentences of at least 10 years. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Constantly updated. The three suspects were identified as 25-year-old Martin Eduardo BustosTorres, 23 . Read More. iTunes:http://on9news.tv/itunes Google Play:http://on9news.tv/1lWnC5n, HOW TO ADD THE FREE 9NEWS+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE. DENVER (KDVR) Police have announced a significant drug bust in Denver that turned up more than 200 pounds of drugs, including meth, cocaine, heroin, crack and thousands of fentanyl pills.. Besser said the I-70 and I-25 corridors are where the deadly drugs head East while money heads South. The police investigation into Mills led police to search two homes, one in the 3000 block of North Race Street and another in the 12100 block of Amherst Circle in Aurora. The Drug Enforcement Agency and the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office announced the bust Wednesday in Centennial, saying eight people have been indicted on allegations they were. Two people got caught with an illegal psilocybin mushroom grow and other drugs in a Lyons home. More than 900 people died of fentanyl overdoses in Colorado last year, according to the state health department. Best 30 Drug Bust Counseling Center in Aurora, CO with Reviews (WLBT) - Two people were arrested for having possession of over $200,000 in drugs, along with a few firearms, In Hinds County on Wednesday, January 25. Most street users will not purposely want to take fentanyl some do, but for the most part they dont, because of how serious it is, how its so hard to dose because a microscopic amount can be fatal and theyre fearful of that, he said. Although drug runners were taken off of the streets, their positions will be refilled soon enough. Listen now. They expect to lose product, but what they want the most is to get them money down south,Besser said. Meaning heavier snow in southern Colorado and across the south-eastern plains. Investigators said it is believed the drug trafficking ring in Colorado has ties to the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico. On Tuesday, a local mail sorting center contacted police after co The alleged network was based in Colorado and distributed drugs to several counties and cities in the region, including Denver, Aurora, Commerce City, Lakewood, and Thornton. The Special Operations Unit found $18,645 in cash, 250 grams of marijuana, 231 Xanax pills, 108 oxycodone, 25 pills of molly, and a digital scale all in the car. DEA: 21 charged in Denver-area drug ring with cartel ties; 110k The fentanyl pills recovered by authorities were packaged and disguised to look like prescription drugs a tactic used to make the drugs more appealing to users, Dunn said. Cant take statins? . 18 charged with gun, drug felonies in Aurora - FOX 32 Chicago Besser had a laundry list of what the DEA is doing behind the scenes to eradicate drug traffic, including the investigation of 50 active cases, a third of which are in the 18thJudicial District. Former Washington Capital forward Lars Eller is now a member of the Colorado Avalanche! AURORA |Federal authorities on Wednesday unsealed a 30-person indictment that outlines the workings of a sophisticated drug cartel that for years was pumping hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin and cocaine throughout Colorado. (CBS4) - The U.S. Department of Justice says a drug strike force dismantled a major drug dealing operation which was working in Denver and Aurora. Deputies conducting a routine traffic stop in Adams County took one person into custody after finding methamphetamine, fentanyl, and stacks of cash in the car. Dunn and Phillips praised the collaborative effort among a variety of federal agencies that helped to build the criminal case against the trafficking groups and to arrest two dozen alleged members. Kellner said the sting operation began in December 2021 with a single drug buy that evolved into more purchases, then wiretaps, search warrants and seizures. See reviews, photos, directions, phone numbers and more for Odom Memorial Community Drug Bust locations in Aurora, CO. Residential rent analysis company, Rentometer, found other double-digit spikes around Colorado from 2021 to 2022 rent increased 15% in Aurora, 13% in Boulder, and shot up 18% in Fort Collins. Colorado law enforcement officials said Wednesday that millions of lives may have been saved after several months of undercover investigation into those suspected of distributing illegal fentanyl pills. In Pittsburgh, she helped the newspaper earn the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news after a mass shooting at a local synagogue, and in 2020 she was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in local reporting for an investigation into child sexual abuse among Amish and Mennonite communities.